Why do we get GAD

[ailsajayne26]

Hi I was just wondering why we get GAD? I've been told by my family that I was always anxious and a ''worrier'' apparently it was a bit of running joke when I was little... that anything fun I'd be anxious of my family getting hurt!!

So anyway I just wondered how many other people have no major reason for being anxious... My GAD kinda comes and goes... first realy knew something was wrong when I started secondary school... used to panic that I was dying or really ill all the time and that anything I couldn't find I must have swallowed (Que lumpy feeling in stomach!) ... after I'd settled in I stopped thinking I was that ill (However I have always worried about family!!) Was ok for a few years (Well apart from the usual teenage angst... everybody hates me etc etc!) then during my A'levels that dr's said I had asthma cos I was struggling to get breath in (know now thats my classic anxiety breathing thing!) This went away following a period of depression at university (Fixed by counselling and making friends!). Was fine until last year when I thought my asthma had come back.... eventually following many trips to dr's regarding pains and not breathing and all kinds of things... they diagnosed me with anxiety.... So now rest of my symptoms went bonkers!! I'm doing much better now... having CBT and learning to relax and not let the crazy overthinking take control!!

One of my counsellors asked me loads of questions about my childhood (which was very happy and loving and stable) which later made me panic that I must have a hidden secret that I don't remember.. having talked to a friedn who was abused I realised I would have known.. plus I was never left alone with people, and my parents always did stuff together... anwya y back to the point....

I just really wondered if other people have totally unexplainable GAD. I'm pretty sure my GAD is based around things I can't control... but I think as two year old I wouldn't have understood that!! MAybe as a very small kid I was intellegent enough to believe too much into he ''don't touch that its dangerous'' thing and trsnalted that into more worrying and started a cycle??

Sorry this is a really long post... I sometimes find writing stuff on here helps me work through it in my head!

Thanks for reading this!!

Ailsx

[Keep going]

Hi, i must say my story is identical to yours. I've had gad probably majority of my life.

My point of view on gad that some people are are anxious and some are not. I know from my family history on both sides i have relatives that are anxious and some that are not. May be its a genetic trait passed down through the generations to keep us safe (fight or flight on overload). Which would have helped us a few thousand years ago, but not now. Also our life styles, environment has change so much recently that some of us do not like a stressfull :mad: lifestyle and sometimes a simple life can be a better life.

Also i beleif some of us will get gad, and it will teach more about ourselves. I know more about myself than i have ever done and what people think of me. For instance people at work (when i worked) use to tell me to stop worrying, which i thought i was not doing :lac:. Even my bestfriend knew knew i was an anxious person and wasn't suprised i had this condition :yesyes:.

I just know from my point of view there has to be worriers and non-worriers. but i believe anybody can change if given the right encouragement :flowers:.

Stu:winks:

[ailsajayne26]

good to hear of others like me!! :) Must say my granda was a worrier or "neurotic" as my mum says(uses similar words for me.... ) and my dad had stress and bullying at work lead to a breakdown ten years ago! it would be great to blame my genetics for this!! .

I totally agree about the environment thing... since I was diagnosed in aug so many of my friends have had periods of severe anxiety or admitted to worrying all the time... they have been lucky enough to make sense of it quickly and calm themselves down better than I did! Maybe its an age/ environment thing... maybe some of us are programmed to worry more so the external pressures of you should be this successful, you should be married, you should be happy get to us more??

Thanks for the reply!!

Ails

[sarah1984]

Hi Ailsa,

Like you, I've suffered with GAD/depression on and off in bouts since I was 14 and I also had a very happy childhood and loving family-though that's always the first thing docs and counsellors have asked me about! However, like Stuart, anxiety/mental health issues run in my family-my parents, nan, nan's father, his mother etc have all suffered. Perhaps it's genetic and perhaps it's also due to environment-being around people who don't have the coping skills to deal with anxiety successfully probably means that I didn't pick them up at a young age. Despite being a very cheerful, optimistic person when well, I have a definite perfectionistic streak and I often found I experience a downer after a string of successes-after doing well in my AS-levels, then in my second year at uni etc.
Glad to hear you're doing so much better now and CBT's helping-hope things just keep on getting better!
Sarah